"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

"EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and 'can do' would be read three timesback-to-back, I'm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

Skulduggery Pleasantby Derek Landyhttps://amzn.to/2LGXOOA

Tween mentored by a living skeleton becomes involved in a sinister magical world

Nice Dragons Finish Lastby Rachel Aaronhttps://amzn.to/2ApFvIJ

Dual male/female lead. Female lead is a young sorceress trying to establishherself in a future US where magic has returned and dragons exist. (Laterbooks have some minimal discreet sex in a committed relationship).

Into the Dark (Alexis Carew Book 1)by J.A. Sutherlandhttps://amzn.to/2OsiIip

Young teen (14/15) joins the space navy.

The Flaw in All Magic (Magebreakers Book 1)by Ben S. Dobsonhttps://amzn.to/2vkCDa4

Dual male/female (non romantic) leads. Female lead is an half orcwho has come to the big city to see the wonders of magic.

Emergence Kindleby David R. Palmerhttps://amzn.to/2OwtcgK

Young girl genius navigates a post apocalypse landscape on a quest tofind other survivors.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Most of Diana Wynne Jones books, kick off with _Howl's Moving Castle_and _Charmed Life_, each of which starts an age-appropriate series.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Which ones did you suggest? So we don't duplicate.

--Inquiring minds want to know while minds with a self-preservationinstinct are running screaming.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, butit takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kidsof her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Which ones did you suggest? So we don't duplicate.

I did not want to poison the well this early. Duplicates are good.

“Emergence” by David Palmerhttps://www.amazon.com/Emergence-David-R-Palmer/dp/194881806X/

I don't think any of Armstrong's Otherworld protagonists get by on sheer grit?Most of them are supernaturals of some kind.

If superpowers are allowed, Worm's Taylor Hebert is the epitome of getting byon sheer grit and escalation and a seemingly-C-list power. Bonus: the setting'spretty much a dystopia, and apocalypse is coming...

Dave

--\/David DeLaney posting thru EarthLink - "It's not the pot that grows the flowerIt's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to seeLove is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>my gatekeeper archives are no longer accessible :( / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

I don't think any of Armstrong's Otherworld protagonists get by on sheer grit?Most of them are supernaturals of some kind.If superpowers are allowed, Worm's Taylor Hebert is the epitome of getting byon sheer grit and escalation and a seemingly-C-list power. Bonus: the setting'spretty much a dystopia, and apocalypse is coming...

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues ofgrit but with a female lead, please let me know. I could writeone myself, but it takes me so long to write fiction that mydaughter would have kids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat whosucceeded through grit, ability, and âcan doâ would be readthree times back-to-back, Iâm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I expect Shards of Honor and Barrayar are a bit too grown up for a 10year old.

--Terry Austin

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."-- David Bilek

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues ofgrit but with a female lead, please let me know. I could writeone myself, but it takes me so long to write fiction that mydaughter would have kids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat whosucceeded through grit, ability, and âcan doâ would be readthree times back-to-back, Iâm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I expect Shards of Honor and Barrayar are a bit too grown up for a 10year old.

I was reading adult science fiction at ten (but [a] there was nosuch thing as YA then and [b] as all here know, I'm an outlier).

I can remember really enjoying _Second Foundation_ and _The StarsMy Destination_, both of which left me sitting on the floorsaying "Wow."

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues ofgrit but with a female lead, please let me know. I could writeone myself, but it takes me so long to write fiction that mydaughter would have kids of her own by the time I finishedit.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat whosucceeded through grit, ability, and âcan doâ would beread three times back-to-back, Iâm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I expect Shards of Honor and Barrayar are a bit too grown up fora 10 year old.

I was reading adult science fiction at ten (but [a] there was nosuch thing as YA then and [b] as all here know, I'm an outlier).I can remember really enjoying _Second Foundation_ and _TheStars My Destination_, both of which left me sitting on thefloor saying "Wow."But then [c] that was sixty-some years ago.

I expect that at that age, we were *both* reading at a considerablyhigher age level than most kids that age were ready for.

--Terry Austin

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."-- David Bilek

Post by Dorothy J HeydtI was reading adult science fiction at ten (but [a] there was nosuch thing as YA then and [b] as all here know, I'm an outlier).I can remember really enjoying _Second Foundation_ and _The StarsMy Destination_, both of which left me sitting on the floorsaying "Wow."

An understandable reaction, but keep in mind that _The Stars MyDestination_ was serialized in late 1956-early 1957 when you were 14.There is a big difference between 10 and 14.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues ofgrit but with a female lead, please let me know. I could writeone myself, but it takes me so long to write fiction that mydaughter would have kids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat whosucceeded through grit, ability, and âcan doâ? would be readthree times back-to-back, Iâm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I expect Shards of Honor and Barrayar are a bit too grown up for a 10year old.

I was reading adult science fiction at ten (but [a] there was nosuch thing as YA then and [b] as all here know, I'm an outlier).I can remember really enjoying _Second Foundation_ and _The StarsMy Destination_, both of which left me sitting on the floorsaying "Wow."But then [c] that was sixty-some years ago.

The Stars My Destination never really "worked" for me. I've re-readthe Foundation books much later and the "plodding" impression fromthat reading overlaid whatever sensawunda I might have had the firsttime around.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

When my daughter was 10 she loved the Warrior Cat books by Erin Hunter. "Into the Wild" is the first one.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

Unwillingly to Earth by Pauline Ashwell, a fix-up of stories whichoriginally appeared in Astoundalog. Here's a review by Baird Searles:

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I suppose you've considered _True Grit_. I haven't.I did rather like _Shane_, the book, but that fact isabout all that I remember.

_A Wrinkle In Time_ is better than the movie;aren't they always? (I haven't seen the movie.)

Terry Pratchett? Now, as to grit... it's not preciselythe point of _Equal Rites_, in which a dying wizard(possibly evil, but retired) bequeaths his wizardnessto a poor man's newborn child which is presumed to bemale, but isn't. Teaching Eskarina witchcraft issupposed to be a remedy for her poorly governedwizardry, but doesn't quite work. Sex is mentionedbut not shown, it's just that some of the jokeswill be incomprehensible, including to young Esk.

Pratchett's books with the wizard Rincewind emphasisethe advantages of running away, but he's not in allof them, much to his own relief I suppose.(Rincewind isn't the dead one from _Equal Rites_.)

_Only You Can Save Mankind_ and _Truckers_have strong female secondary characters; theprominent young female in _Truckers_ is in theforeground in the sequel, which is a plus, thoughthat series has a strong negative presentationof religion - some of the tiny "nomes" worshiphuman archetypes in a confused way - and itcould be an issue that they live much faster but,in absolute terms, shorter lives than we do.

OYCSM has sequels but Sigourney by then isjust one of the boys. The alien captain doesn'treappear but is another important female,although that doesn't much matter in the story -which may be the point. Also the story is probablypartly imaginary, but you have to meet magic realismsometime, and it's this or _Sylvie & Bruno_ -which is more adult and piously Christian,which either suits or doesn't.

Actually, most of these stories are entirelyimaginary, as Superman tells us.

_The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents_is the story of a cat and some intelligent rats,and human companion, who go around villagesrunning the "Pied Piper" scam, what with theiraudacity and their ability to beat traps... orsometimes not, which is sad.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Terry Pratchett? Now, as to grit... it's not preciselythe point of _Equal Rites_, in which a dying wizard(possibly evil, but retired) bequeaths his wizardnessto a poor man's newborn child which is presumed to bemale, but isn't. Teaching Eskarina witchcraft issupposed to be a remedy for her poorly governedwizardry, but doesn't quite work. Sex is mentionedbut not shown, it's just that some of the jokeswill be incomprehensible, including to young Esk.Pratchett's books with the wizard Rincewind emphasisethe advantages of running away, but he's not in allof them, much to his own relief I suppose.(Rincewind isn't the dead one from _Equal Rites_.)

You are going to mention Pratchett and not include the Tiffany Aching books? I think those would be right up the described alley.

Post by Robert Carnegie_A Wrinkle In Time_ is better than the movie;aren't they always? (I haven't seen the movie.)

Not always (My mind is going, Dave. I can feel it.) I'm trying toremember a movie I saw about a year ago where I came out thinking"They dumped all the stupid bits, and the story was much better forit." But now I forget what movie that was. I don't see that many.

The book can be better than the movie even if it's written to go withthe movie. Convoy was actually a reasonable and thoughtful book,quite unlike the movie. I could never get into the movie version of"Ode to Billy Joe", but I enjoyed the book written for it. (Shetosses, metaphorically, her childhood off the bridge, to answer thebig question of the song.)

Post by Robert Carnegie_A Wrinkle In Time_ is better than the movie;aren't they always? (I haven't seen the movie.)

Not always (My mind is going, Dave. I can feel it.) I'm trying toremember a movie I saw about a year ago where I came out thinking"They dumped all the stupid bits, and the story was much better forit." But now I forget what movie that was. I don't see that many.

One I can think of is Forrest Gump. If I had read thebook first, I'd have had to have been hogtied and draggedinto the movie, otherwise, I'd have never seen it.

Post by Robert Carnegie_A Wrinkle In Time_ is better than the movie;aren't they always? (I haven't seen the movie.)

Not always (My mind is going, Dave. I can feel it.) I'm trying toremember a movie I saw about a year ago where I came out thinking"They dumped all the stupid bits, and the story was much better forit." But now I forget what movie that was. I don't see that many.

One I can think of is Forrest Gump. If I had read thebook first, I'd have had to have been hogtied and draggedinto the movie, otherwise, I'd have never seen it.

Film scripts notoriously get rewritten over and overagain. Presumably erasing some of the original bookeach time, and probably some of the things you likedabout it.

Granted, there may be not much in a book in thefirst place - I blush to say it.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

So, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If they do get to a revolution, it'll probably be the one in 1776.

--My webpage is at http://www.watt-evans.comMy latest novel is Stone Unturned: A Legend of Ethshar.See http://www.ethshar.com/StoneUnturned.shtml

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

If so, I missed a couple -- I only know of six that have beenreleased.

Its Disney. The Mouse plans ahead. :)

#9 will be a revolution!

Well, let's see. I've only seen the first movie, but IIRC(judging by the women's clothing) it's set in the 1820s or so.(Yes, I know, Hollywood pays attention to historical costume onlywhen and if it feels like it, but this is a Gedankenexperiment.)

Internal evidence in the fourth one (which I just saw recently)suggests pretty strongly that it's mid-18th century, the clothingnotwithstanding. This would explain why there aren't any Americans tobe seen.

Post by Dorothy J HeydtSo, yes, there will be a whole series of revolutions in the 1840sin Europe. What effect that will have on the Caribbean area Idon't know.

Post by Robert Carnegie_A Wrinkle In Time_ is better than the movie;aren't they always? (I haven't seen the movie.)

Not always (My mind is going, Dave. I can feel it.) I'm trying toremember a movie I saw about a year ago where I came out thinking"They dumped all the stupid bits, and the story was much better forit." But now I forget what movie that was. I don't see that many.

One I can think of is Forrest Gump. If I had read thebook first, I'd have had to have been hogtied and draggedinto the movie, otherwise, I'd have never seen it.

Post by Robert Carnegie_A Wrinkle In Time_ is better than the movie;aren't they always? (I haven't seen the movie.)

Not always (My mind is going, Dave. I can feel it.) I'm trying toremember a movie I saw about a year ago where I came out thinking"They dumped all the stupid bits, and the story was much better forit." But now I forget what movie that was. I don't see that many.

One I can think of is Forrest Gump. If I had read thebook first, I'd have had to have been hogtied and draggedinto the movie, otherwise, I'd have never seen it.

JawsThe GodfatherThe Maltese FalconThe WarriorsDie HardOne Flew Over the Cuckoos NestThe Princess Bride(Although I'll admit, there are plenty who'll argue over the last two.)There are lots of books that became better movies.-Moriarty

I would disagree over several of these. The Princess Bride was excellently done for a film version, but I still prefer the book. I would say much the same of The Maltese Falcon.

Twoi where I feel the Movie was an actual improvement over the book:

The African QueenBridge Over the River Kwai

In both the super-dramatic hollywood ending was exactly right for the story, and in both the book went with a more realistic but less dramatically satiating ending.

In Kwai the book did not have the moment of horrified realization where Col Nicholson realizes that he has been collaborating, and sacrifices himself, thus becoming a true tragic hero.

In Queen, Forrester knew much better how hopeless the attempt on the Louisa was, and had it destroyedby a separate British force, making the adventure pointless except as a means of character development. The highly improbably strik4e from beyond the watery grave was just right for this story.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

I haven't had a 10 year old girl to buy books for for over a decade, so I'ma bit out of date....

I strongly second both 'A Wrinkle in Time', and Pratchett's "Tiffany Aching"books.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Everyone seems to studiously avoid mention of PeeWee in HSS,WT.

Hmm. I guess we're all looking at the viewpoint character instead ofthe supporting characters. If we're going that route, should weinclude Betty Sorenson?

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Everyone seems to studiously avoid mention of PeeWee in HSS,WT.

Hmm. I guess we're all looking at the viewpoint character instead ofthe supporting characters. If we're going that route, should weinclude Betty Sorenson?

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."

Diane Duane's feline wizardry books; also her non-feline wizardry books,starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard. (Female lead, many animals,good adventures.)

James Alan Gardner's Expendable.

Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor.

Gail Carriger's Finishing School series -- steampunk/magic/espionage for young ladies

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."

Diane Duane's feline wizardry books; also her non-feline wizardry books,starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard. (Female lead, many animals,good adventures.)

I strongly endorse these. Not that the viewpoit cat in the Feline wizard series is female.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."

Diane Duane's feline wizardry books; also her non-feline wizardry books,starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard. (Female lead, many animals,good adventures.)

I strongly endorse these.

I also. They're very good, neither talk-downy nor avoiding some of theissues implied by giving very young people such power and responsibility.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."

Diane Duane's feline wizardry books; also her non-feline wizardry books,starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard. (Female lead, many animals,good adventures.)

I strongly endorse these.

I also. They're very good, neither talk-downy nor avoiding some ofthe issues implied by giving very young people such power andresponsibility.N

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and âcan doâ would be read three timesback-to-back, Iâm sure."

James Alan Gardner's Expendable.

It's been a long time, but that may be too adult for some ten-year-olds.

Post by -dsr-Gail Carriger's Finishing School series -- steampunk/magic/espionage for young ladies

This not-quite-juxtaposition reminded me of Wrede's other books,including her collaborations.

She and Caroline Stevermer wrote a book that became famously rare,but was then reprinted and sequeled, <Sorcery and Cecelia>. The(inevitably inferior, but not bad) sequels are <The Grand Tour> and<The Mislaid Magician>.

Each of them has written books evidently set in the same milieu.Wrede's I've read - <Mairelon the Magician> and <Magician's Ward>.Stevermer's - <Magic below Stairs> - I haven't.

All these are Regency-set, though finishing schools aren't prominent.Note that in keeping with the regency setting all resolve theirheroines' stories with romance/marriage; one worthwhile aspect to thecollaborative sequels is that these carry that story *beyond* awedding. I'm not sure "grit" is what I'd ascribe to the heroines,but to the extent that "determination" or "steadfastness" willsubstitute, they have those.

Finishing schools *are* prominent in:

Stevermer's solo <A College of Magics>. Inferior sequel: <AScholar of Magics>. Prequel some think superior to the original:<When the King Comes Home>. All have female POVs, IIRC, but again,I'm not sure "grit" is the word I'd use.

An entire trilogy by Libba Bray: <A Great and Terrible Beauty>,<Rebel Angels> and <The Sweet Far Thing>. Sooner or later I'llfigure out how to rave effectively enough about this superb fantasywork. The narrator is a teenaged girl, and here "grit" does seemappropriate.

Wrede's other books include a series set in a geography known as"Lyra"; of these, I think (again, it's been a while) <Daughter ofWitches> and <The Raven Ring> have female leads, and am quite sure<Caught in Crystal> does, though that one might fly somewhat over aten-year-old's head (our POV is a mother entering middle age).

Nancy Kress's first three books, now kinda rare I think, all havewomen as POVs. The link is that the third, <The White Pipes>, hasthe other mother-as-heroine I've encountered. The first, <The Princeof Morning Bells>, may be the best, is certainly likeliest to appealto a child, and its heroine pretty much defines "grit". (It wasapparently reprinted awhile back, revised, so is also likely to beleast rare.) The second, <The Golden Grove>, is darkest, and leastrecommended by me.

Again back to Wrede: Of the "Enchanted Forest" series, note that<Talking to Dragons> has a male POV.

Continuing this focus on mostly older works, it looks like all PamelaDean's books have female protagonists. I would suggest the non-series books, <Tam Lin> ("grit") and <Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary>.Emma Bull's <War for the Oaks> is somewhere near "grit".

This not-quite-juxtaposition reminded me of Wrede's other books,including her collaborations.She and Caroline Stevermer wrote a book that became famously rare,but was then reprinted and sequeled, <Sorcery and Cecelia>. The(inevitably inferior, but not bad) sequels are <The Grand Tour> and<The Mislaid Magician>.Each of them has written books evidently set in the same milieu.Wrede's I've read - <Mairelon the Magician> and <Magician's Ward>.

In the same universe (as far as I can tell), but with differentprotagonists.

In the same universe as _Sorcery_ et cetera. It's set between_The Grand Tour_ and _The Mislaid Magician_. The protagonist isa pre-teen boy, but there's a girl of his own age and stationwho's admirable.

The heroines are either gentry who have been educated at home,or servants, or street urchins. When did finishing schools comein, anyway?

(Hm. Wikipedia says 1860s, beginning in Switzerland. A littlelate for English Regency.)

Post by Joe BernsteinNote that in keeping with the Regency setting all resolve theirheroines' stories with romance/marriage; one worthwhile aspect to thecollaborative sequels is that these carry that story *beyond* awedding. I'm not sure "grit" is what I'd ascribe to the heroines,but to the extent that "determination" or "steadfastness" willsubstitute, they have those.Stevermer's solo <A College of Magics>. Inferior sequel: <A<When the King Comes Home>. All have female POVs, IIRC, but again,I'm not sure "grit" is the word I'd use.

I object! Neither Greenlaw nor Glasscastle is a "finishingschool," where young ladies are taught to speak French, pour teagracefully, and look down their pretty noses at everbody. Theyare a college and a university of three colleges, respectively,where magic is taught intuitively and academically, respectively.I live in hope that Stevermer will write the other two (there arefour Wardens of the World, and she's only dealt with the Northand the West so far). Both are excellent. And "grit" is onlyone of the characteristics of Jane Brailsford, who appears in bothvolumes.

Post by Joe BernsteinAn entire trilogy by Libba Bray: <A Great and Terrible Beauty>,<Rebel Angels> and <The Sweet Far Thing>. Sooner or later I'llfigure out how to rave effectively enough about this superb fantasywork. The narrator is a teenaged girl, and here "grit" does seemappropriate.

Hm. Took a quick look on Amazon; I think I'll have to readthese. Preferably bought used at $0.05 plus s/h, if possible4.

Post by Joe BernsteinWrede's other books include a series set in a geography known as"Lyra"; of these, I think (again, it's been a while) <Daughter ofWitches> and <The Raven Ring> have female leads, and am quite sure<Caught in Crystal> does, though that one might fly somewhat over aten-year-old's head (our POV is a mother entering middle age).

I've read all of those; _The Raven Ring_ is the one I reread mostoften. (Which is my basic criterion for "How good is it??)

The heroines are either gentry who have been educated at home,or servants, or street urchins. When did finishing schools comein, anyway?(Hm. Wikipedia says 1860s, beginning in Switzerland. A littlelate for English Regency.)

In Georgette Heyer's _Black Sheep_ Fanny Wendover (not the heroine) hasjust completed her education at one of Bath's exclusive seminaries. Ibelieve this is common as a final education in these books. ObSF: inAlexei Panshin's _Star Well_ Louisa Parini is proceeding to MissMcBurney's Justly Famous Seminary an Finishing School on Nashua. So,this combined both the Seminary (presumably at a younger age) and thefinishing school.

Post by Stephen HarkerIn Georgette Heyer's _Black Sheep_ Fanny Wendover (not the heroine) hasjust completed her education at one of Bath's exclusive seminaries. Ibelieve this is common as a final education in these books. ObSF: inAlexei Panshin's _Star Well_ Louisa Parini is proceeding to MissMcBurney's Justly Famous Seminary an Finishing School on Nashua. So,this combined both the Seminary (presumably at a younger age) and thefinishing school.

In fact, a good chunk of Heyer's Regency romances might well qualify; they'recertainly readable by a bright 10-year-old...

Dave

--\/David DeLaney posting thru EarthLink - "It's not the pot that grows the flowerIt's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to seeLove is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>my gatekeeper archives are no longer accessible :( / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."

Diane Duane's feline wizardry books; also her non-feline wizardry books,starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard. (Female lead, many animals,good adventures.)James Alan Gardner's Expendable.Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor.Gail Carriger's Finishing School series -- steampunk/magic/espionage for young ladiesGenevieve Cogman - The Invisible LibraryPatricia Wrede's Frontier trilogy. Possibly the Enchanted Forest quad, too.-dsr-

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

All, thank you very much. I have relayed the suggestions to the questioner.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

Here is a short story she might like (I think I recommended this to you before)http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/lindholm_01_16_reprint/

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

Not necessarily female leads, but with Strong Girls:

Have Spacesuit, Will Travel; Star Beast; Tunnel in the Sky; The Rolling Stones; Podkayne of Mars... all by Heinlein. I'm particularly thinking of the scenes in Tunnel where our dim-witted protag finally finds out that Jack is a girl, and where the Mayor wants Caroline's notepaper.

With cats, though possibly a bit too old for a 10-year-old:

The Telazly stories, the Nile stories, and the Agent of Vega stories by Schimdt and company.

Definitely too old for a 10-year-old, but with Very Strong Girls:

In the Courts of the Crimson Kings; Drakon... all by S. M. Stirling. I defy anyone to be stronger (or scarier) than Teyad or Gwen. And there's even a kind of a cat or two.

There are more stories about Nile Etland than "The Tuvela",a.k.a. "The Demon Breed"?I will have to look those up. Nile is as impressive asTelzey, with only natural abilities, no psi magic.(Not that there's anything wrong with that...)At least, as she appeared in "The Tuvela"; I suppose shemight have developed powerz in other stories.Hey, giant talking otters are kind of like water cats, right?--Mike Van Pelt | "I don't advise it unless you're nuts."mvp at calweb.com | -- Ray Wilkinson, after riding out HurricaneKE6BVH | Ike on Surfside Beach in Galveston

To the best of my knowlege ther eis only one other Nile Etland story, "Trouble tide'. It precedes _The demon Breed_ in internal chronology, and was include in the Baen collection.

There are more stories about Nile Etland than "The Tuvela",a.k.a. "The Demon Breed"?I will have to look those up. Nile is as impressive asTelzey, with only natural abilities, no psi magic.(Not that there's anything wrong with that...)At least, as she appeared in "The Tuvela"; I suppose shemight have developed powerz in other stories.Hey, giant talking otters are kind of like water cats, right?--Mike Van Pelt | "I don't advise it unless you're nuts."mvp at calweb.com | -- Ray Wilkinson, after riding out HurricaneKE6BVH | Ike on Surfside Beach in Galveston

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

The short-story "The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles" byKij Johnson should fit the bill, I think.

Available here:https://www.tor.com/2009/07/14/the-cat-who-walked-a-thousand-miles/

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

--\/David DeLaney posting thru EarthLink - "It's not the pot that grows the flowerIt's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to seeLove is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>my gatekeeper archives are no longer accessible :( / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

Good point. I can't recall if I already recommended Vernon's prose booksthat are relevant to the request (Summer in Orcus, The Seventh Bride,Castle Hangnail, Bryony and Roses, The Raven and the Reindeer). Some areunder her T Kingfisher alias. The latest pair - The Clocktaur War - I'dleave until age 14 or so. The Hamster Princess books are probably tooyoung for her.

Cheers - Jaimie

--"Jesus died for our sins. Let us not cheapen hissacrifice by failing to commit any of them."

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it."

_Freefall_ and _Girl Genius_, what I've seen of _Freefall_,are not suitable for most ten-year-olds. GG declares so -it has rather too much sex and violence and complicatedequations - and _Freefall_ includes doubtful politics,ethics, and patient-veterinarian relations.

Post by Robert Carnegie_Freefall_ and _Girl Genius_, what I've seen of _Freefall_,are not suitable for most ten-year-olds. GG declares so -it has rather too much sex and violence and complicatedequations - and _Freefall_ includes doubtful politics,ethics, and patient-veterinarian relations.

OTOH it does deal fairly seriously with the issue of civil rightsfor groups that haven't any ... in this case, AIs.

Webcomics dealing with a perhaps similar issue -- how to dealwith a society in which both carnivores and herbivores aresentient -- include _Doc Rat_ and _Kevin and Kell_ The formerhas established that some prey animals are *not* sentient, andcan be eaten in good conscience by carnivores; the latter doesn'tseem to have. Yet. Both are struggling with not-yet-entirely-successful can't-we-all-just-get-along movements. I wouldn'trecommend that for the average ten-year-old either.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of the relevantones. :)

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and âcan doâ would be read three timesback-to-back, Iâm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one.Â Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of the relevantones. :)

Given that _A Wrinkle In Time_ was on the list, I'm surprised they didn'thave other fantasy like Harry Potter or Skulduggery Pleasant. I wouldhave put some Norton, but realized my favorites (_The Zero Stone_/_UnchartedStars_) have a male protag as do most of her that I recall..

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of the relevantones. :)

Given that _A Wrinkle In Time_ was on the list, I'm surprised they didn'thave other fantasy like Harry Potter or Skulduggery Pleasant. I wouldhave put some Norton, but realized my favorites (_The Zero Stone_/_UnchartedStars_) have a male protag as do most of her that I recall..

I read the first _Skulduggery Pleasant_ and wasn'tvery impressed with the worldbuilding, but I'm notthe target audience or Irish. Also, if we're lookingfor successful perseverance, the focus characterdoesn't quite measure up to that, in my opinion.A good-aligned deadly swordswoman shows up whois more like that.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and âcan doâ would be read three timesback-to-back, Iâm sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one.Â Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of the relevantones. :)

Given that _A Wrinkle In Time_ was on the list, I'm surprised they didn'thave other fantasy like Harry Potter or Skulduggery Pleasant. I wouldhave put some Norton, but realized my favorites (_The Zero Stone_/_UnchartedStars_) have a male protag as do most of her that I recall..

I read the first _Skulduggery Pleasant_ and wasn'tvery impressed with the worldbuilding, but I'm notthe target audience or Irish. Also, if we're lookingfor successful perseverance, the focus characterdoesn't quite measure up to that, in my opinion.A good-aligned deadly swordswoman shows up whois more like that.

Actually, I was conflating this thread and the other recent "YA sf" threadwhich mental wandering let me nominate Harry Potter with a male protagand yet complain I couldn't nominate Norton because male progat. In thespace of two sentences!

I quite like SP though, and Valkerie Cain. It's a series where thegood guys do such horrible things that in another series their onlyoption would be to Xena it and devote the rest of their lives toatonement, or die honorably fighting the bad guys. Instead theygo on with their lives..

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, butit takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kidsof her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of the relevantones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of gritbut with a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself,but it takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would havekids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of therelevant ones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Well, that's certainly the first one to come to mind. Depends on howyou define it. Kyri in _Phoenix Rising_ is about 17 when she starts herquest, still probably not quite 20 when she finishes it. Princess HolyAura may START as a 35 year old guy but, well, Holy Aura herself is 14and her friends are also that age. If your reader knows a lot of anime,this won't be nearly so weird as some.

The others do star people that wouldn't generally be considered veryyoung.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of gritbut with a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself,but it takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would havekids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of therelevant ones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Well, that's certainly the first one to come to mind. Depends on howyou define it. Kyri in _Phoenix Rising_ is about 17 when she starts herquest, still probably not quite 20 when she finishes it. Princess HolyAura may START as a 35 year old guy but, well, Holy Aura herself is 14and her friends are also that age. If your reader knows a lot of anime,this won't be nearly so weird as some.The others do star people that wouldn't generally be considered veryyoung.

Probably a young character isn't required. I thinkit's been observed that most young readers identifywith a protagonist older than they are, but notnecessarily with one younger than them. I supposethat "role model" comes into this.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of gritbut with a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself,but it takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would havekids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of therelevant ones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Well, that's certainly the first one to come to mind. Depends on howyou define it. Kyri in _Phoenix Rising_ is about 17 when she starts herquest, still probably not quite 20 when she finishes it. Princess HolyAura may START as a 35 year old guy but, well, Holy Aura herself is 14and her friends are also that age. If your reader knows a lot of anime,this won't be nearly so weird as some.The others do star people that wouldn't generally be considered veryyoung.

Probably a young character isn't required. I thinkit's been observed that most young readers identifywith a protagonist older than they are, but notnecessarily with one younger than them. I supposethat "role model" comes into this.

Oh, did we mention _The Phantom Tollbooth_? No pluckyheroine, but still. A couple of smart princesses?And Wikipedia says: "Milo's age was removed from the text -early drafts have him aged eight or nine - as [the author]decided not to state it, lest potential readers decidethey were too old to care." Told ya.

_Rebecca's World_ by Terry Nation - Mister Dalek -is out of print on paper, may be available as audio CD,or buy as download from Big Finish, maybe. I've got it.Rebecca is accidentally teleported to a planet with aplague of "GHOSTS", I forget what exactly but bad news.It's Wizard of Oz meets Alice in Wonderland meets zombiesmeets Pilgrim's Progress meets The Lorax meetsIt's A Wonderful Life meets basically no other femalecharacters - as one Goodreads reader commented. Ah, well.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of gritbut with a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself,but it takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would havekids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of therelevant ones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Well, that's certainly the first one to come to mind. Depends on howyou define it. Kyri in _Phoenix Rising_ is about 17 when she starts herquest, still probably not quite 20 when she finishes it. Princess HolyAura may START as a 35 year old guy but, well, Holy Aura herself is 14and her friends are also that age. If your reader knows a lot of anime,this won't be nearly so weird as some.The others do star people that wouldn't generally be considered veryyoung.

Probably a young character isn't required. I thinkit's been observed that most young readers identifywith a protagonist older than they are, but notnecessarily with one younger than them. I supposethat "role model" comes into this.

Does this seem to have an effect on the popularityof the _Harry Potter_ stories; i.e. are middle schoolstudents reluctant to read the earlier books inthe series? Do they tend to start with later bookseven if they eventually read them all? Of course,Harry Potter is a juggernaut.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of gritbut with a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself,but it takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would havekids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and can do would be read three timesback-to-back, Im sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of therelevant ones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Well, that's certainly the first one to come to mind. Depends on howyou define it. Kyri in _Phoenix Rising_ is about 17 when she starts herquest, still probably not quite 20 when she finishes it. Princess HolyAura may START as a 35 year old guy but, well, Holy Aura herself is 14and her friends are also that age. If your reader knows a lot of anime,this won't be nearly so weird as some.The others do star people that wouldn't generally be considered veryyoung.

How about Larbalestierr's "Magic" trilogy? It's a few years since I've readthem. Are they suitable for a 10 year old?

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of gritbut with a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself,but it takes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would havekids of her own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and can do would be read three timesback-to-back, Im sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

Well, some of mine might work. I think you know all of therelevant ones. :)

Do any of them have a young female lead ? The only one that I know ofis _Castaway Planet_.

Well, that's certainly the first one to come to mind. Depends on howyou define it. Kyri in _Phoenix Rising_ is about 17 when she starts herquest, still probably not quite 20 when she finishes it. Princess HolyAura may START as a 35 year old guy but, well, Holy Aura herself is 14and her friends are also that age. If your reader knows a lot of anime,this won't be nearly so weird as some.The others do star people that wouldn't generally be considered veryyoung.

How about Larbalestierr's "Magic" trilogy? It's a few years since I've readthem. Are they suitable for a 10 year old?

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

My friend is going to try “A Beautiful Friendship (Star Kingdom(Weber))” by David Weber as he already has a copy of it. Somewhere.Unless his grownup boys already stole it.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and can do would be read three timesback-to-back, Im sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I think i'm missing some messages, did anyone suggest the TiffanyAching subseries of Discworld? The first one features Tiffany at age9 going off to with an iron fry pan to save her brother from thefaeries. WEE FREE MEN is the title.

And Diane Duane's cat wizard books, one of which is titled BOOK OFNIGHT WITH MOON. I didn't like 'em but the kid did about that age.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I think i'm missing some messages, did anyone suggest the TiffanyAching subseries of Discworld? The first one features Tiffany at age9 going off to with an iron fry pan to save her brother from thefaeries. WEE FREE MEN is the title.And Diane Duane's cat wizard books, one of which is titled BOOK OFNIGHT WITH MOON. I didn't like 'em but the kid did about that age.

Both were mentioned in the thread.

_Book of Night with Moon_ was a most misleading title. The titular book was an important plot element in _So You Want to be a Wizard_ the first book in the series. It was a very minor element, perhaps not even mentioned, in BoNwM, which is IIRC the first of the Feline Wizard books, a spin-off from the original series. I understand the working title was _The Cats of Grand Central_, a much more descriptive title, but perhaps it wouldn't have sold as well.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I think i'm missing some messages, did anyone suggest the TiffanyAching subseries of Discworld? The first one features Tiffany at age9 going off to with an iron fry pan to save her brother from thefaeries. WEE FREE MEN is the title.And Diane Duane's cat wizard books, one of which is titled BOOK OFNIGHT WITH MOON. I didn't like 'em but the kid did about that age.

_The Book of Night with Moon_ by Diane Duane. Bummer, seems to be out ofprint. But somebody did suggest the "So you want to be a wizard" book.https://www.amazon.com/Book-Night-Moon-Diane-Duane/dp/0446606332/

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?

I think i'm missing some messages, did anyone suggest the TiffanyAching subseries of Discworld? The first one features Tiffany at age9 going off to with an iron fry pan to save her brother from thefaeries. WEE FREE MEN is the title.And Diane Duane's cat wizard books, one of which is titled BOOK OFNIGHT WITH MOON. I didn't like 'em but the kid did about that age.

Thank you, I will tell him.

1) Here are some I haven't seen mentioned that seem to have been writtenwith the 10-12 age range in mind. At least, when my daughter and sonwere 10-12, they were in the marketing section for them AND theyreally enjoyed them:

The Cricket in Times Square

Charlotte’s Web

Magic Tree House series (including the associated and very cool non-fiction research guides, aimed at kids who want to know more about whatever-it-is)

Magic School Bus series

2) Already mentioned, but I agree with very much:

Erin Hunter - Warrior Cat (series)

Wrede - enchanted forest (series)

Duane - So you want to be a wizard (series - my kids thought thefirst one was great and had mixed feelings about thethe sequels)

3) A bonus suggestion with no fantasy content:From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler

Post by t***@gmail.com1) Here are some I haven't seen mentioned that seem to have been writtenwith the 10-12 age range in mind. At least, when my daughter and sonwere 10-12, they were in the marketing section for them AND theyThe Cricket in Times SquareCharlotte???s WebMagic Tree House series (including the associated and very cool non-fiction research guides, aimed at kids who want to know more about whatever-it-is)Magic School Bus series

And, also about as far away from the original question, Edward Eager's books- Half Magic, Seven-Day Magic, The Time Garden, Magic By the Lake, and Knight'sCastle in particular.

Dave

--\/David DeLaney posting thru EarthLink - "It's not the pot that grows the flowerIt's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to seeLove is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>my gatekeeper archives are no longer accessible :( / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

Post by Lynn McGuire"If anyone has a suggestion for a book pushing the virtues of grit butwith a female lead, please let me know. I could write one myself, but ittakes me so long to write fiction that my daughter would have kids ofher own by the time I finished it.""EDIT: A female or animal lead. A story about a cat who succeededthrough grit, ability, and “can do” would be read three timesback-to-back, I’m sure."I suggested six books of which he likes one. Got more ?Thanks,Lynn

Definitely _not_ a suggested answer to your question, but now it's come to mind I can't stop thinking of James Tiptree Jr's "The only neat thing to do" which made quite an impression on me when I read it not long ago. A quick websearch suggests that it is really "big in Japan" as they say - https://tanoshimi.xyz/2016/11/29/yes-sadpanda-is-one-of-my-sources/ - perhaps others here know more about that, but it fits the stereotypes of what I expect to resonate in Japanese culture - although I'm not entirely convinced by everything in the article.